GF - I'm not sure if EMI is sort of a corporate alter ego of Capitol, analogous to EMI/ Parlophone (for the Beatles) but "someone at the top" appears to have set the wheels in motion, for whatever reason to cause the discontent of several band members in 1967, and they could maybe see the "writing on the wall." They had been complaining for four years.
In practice, EMI was a completely separate autonomous company from Capitol. Capitol had no more control over what singles EMI put out than EMI/Parlophone had over what Beatles singles Capitol (or Vee Jay, for that matter) put out. Any complaints the Boys made to Capitol wouldn't have meant a damn thing to EMI.
Regards,
Jon Blum